Abstract
0.53 mm i.d. uncoated precolumns of about 10 m in length followed by a solvent vapor exit have become a standard set-up for large volume on-column injection. It went unnoticed, however, that the introduction of a vapor exit requires two modification of previous working guidelines. First, the capacity of the precolumn to retain sample liquid is increased by a factor of 2.3-3 as a result of the around 100 times higher carrier gas flow rate. Secondly, it must be considered that this gain in retention of liquid is lost again upon closure of the exit: as the gas flow rate is reduced to a few mL/min, the layer of the residual sample liquid expands about 2.3-3 times. Hence, closure should occur late, and a section of the precolumn must be assigned for this secondary spreading.